Charles dickenson



(No Model.)

C. DIGKENSON. GAR STARTER. No. 326,855. Patented'Sept. Z2, 1885.

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NITE STATES CHARLES DICKENSON, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

CAR-STA RTE R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 326,855, dated September 22, 1885.

Application iled August 12, 18135.

.To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES DIcKENsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State 0f Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Gar- Starters; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and eXact description of the iuvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and ligures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to automatic carstarters; and the object of the invention is to provide a device whereby the draf't of the horses in the act of starting will be applied to the periphery of the wheels, so as to overcome the inertia of the car with a Very small eX- penditure of force, and the power thence transferred to the draw-head, and the car drawn in the usual manner after it is in motion; and to these ends the novelty consists in the construction of the same, as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,the same letters of reference indicate the same parts of the invention.

Figure l is a bottom plan View of my device applied to an ordinary street-car. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the main operatingshaft and starting-pawl, and Fig. 4. is a detail of the lever for locking the draw-bar and at the same time throwing the pawl out of position.

A A are the front wheels, one of which, A, is provided with an annular series of pins or teeth, a, in which operate a pawl, B, hinged to a right-angle block, B, which in turn is hinged to the crank C on the shaft D, and c is a spring, which holds the pawl in contact with Vthe teeth.

Secured to the inner end'of the shaft D is a crank, E, to which is connected a rod or chain, F, secured to the rear end of the draw-bar H. This draw-bar has a longitudinal motion in the draw-head I, controlled by the cross-bar h.

J is aspiral spring, which returns the draw- (No model.)

bar and pawl to their normal position after the car has stopped, so as to place the device in position for starting, and K is a chain, one end of which is connected to the back ofthe pawl, near its end, thence passing overguide-pulley c to the lower end of the lever L, secured to the dash-board, so that its handle m is in reach of the driver, whereby he may throw the lever to the left to release the pawl from the teeth after the car has started, and to the right to allow the pawl to engage with the teeth a when the car is started.

N is a locking-hook secured to the under side of the draw-head, so as to engage with a stud, a, depending from the under side of the draw-bar, and o is a short rod connecting this hook with thelower end of the lever L, whereby said hook may be moved laterally to engage or release the stud as desired.

The brake mechanism is ofthe ordinary construction,

The horses being attached to the draw-bar in the usual manner, and the lever L being thrown to theleft, the hook N is released from the stud on the draw-bar, and at the same time the pawl is released and thrown forward by the spring c to engage the teeth on the wheel. The parts being in this position, when the horses are started the strain on the drawbar is transmitted through the chain F to the crank E, shaft D, and crank C, thence to the pawl B, the end of which is in contact with the teeth a on the wheel near its periphery,so that the .power is applied at the most effective point. This readily starts the car forward a short distance or until the stud a comes in contact with the forward flange of the drawhead, whence the draft is transmitted direct to the draw-head, and the motion of the car kept up in the usual manner. After the car is started the lever L is thrown to the right by the driver,which releases or withdraws the pawl from the teeth, so that there will be no unnecessary Wear on the pawl or teeth, and the car proceeds as usual. Vhen the car stops, the driver again reverses the position of the lever L, thereby leaving the device ready for operation when the car again starts.

This is the ordinary operation of the device when the car is traveling on a level stretch; but when going upgrade the lever may be IOO kept to the left, so that when the car stops the pawl will engage the teeth and prevent the car going backward, and this without having recourseto the brakefwhilefat the same time everything is in position for starting.

When the car is going down a grade, the spring .I withdraws the draw-bar, andthe hook locks the draw-bar in this position at the same time that the pawl is released from the teeth, thus throwing the whole device out of gear.

In cars already built the teeth a may be cast solid on a separate ring and bolted in any convenient manner to the inside of the Wheel, while in making new wheels the teeth may be cast integral with the wheel or made of studs of wrought-ironfscrewed into the side.

As the eXtreme variations of temperature between summer and winter may cause a corresponding variation in the spring, the bracket P, to which the stationary end of the said spring is attached, is provided with a longitudinal slot, p, so that compensation may be had for this variation. Through the same means adjustment may be made for any loss of iieXibility incident to the strain upon the spring from continual use.

In the drawings I have shown the end of the pawl B provided withfa' semicircular recess, b, which, when' said pawl engages a tooth., prevents its slipping off sidewise.

Having thus fully described myinvention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s-

1. The conzbinatiomwith the draw-bar H, provided with shaft h and chain F, of the shaft D, provided with cranks C and E, pawl B, and the wheel A, having aseries of teeth, a, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. rIhe combination, with the wheel A, having an annular series of teeth, a, and the chain F, shaft D, and cranks C and E, of the pawl B, having chain K, and lever L, as set forth.

3. The combination, with the draw-head I and the draw-bar H, having cross-bar h, of the shaft D, chain F, cranks C and E, the pawl B, provided with spring, and the wheel A, having teeth a, as and for the purpose, set forth.

4. The combination, with the draw-bar H, having stud u, of the draw-head I, having hook N, as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with the lever L, having rod o, and the draw-head I, having hook N, of the draw-bar H, having stud u, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. -The combination, with the draw-head I, having hook N, and the draw-bar H, having stud u, of the lever L, having rod o and chains k, the shaft D, cranks C and E, pawl B, and the wheel A, having teeth a, vas and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES DICKENSON.

.Vitn esscs:

E. H. BRADFORD, H. J ENNrs. 

